I honestly enjoyed this book. I have barely read any anime books in the past, so this was a new and quite enjoyable experience for me. There were a couple of things that I didn't particularly like though.The book is separated into 3 or 4 smallers stories about this teenage boy called Asuka Masumune. He is really girly and likes the stereotypical girl hobbies; sewing, knitting, baking and more! However, he hides that from the world as he is afraid of being judged by those around him. So, to everyone else, he's the 'cool , stoic, handsome Asuka.' Then he meets a girl, Ryo and a guy Juta, and he realizes that his hobbies aren't so bad.!I enjoyed reading this anime, and it was a particularly fast read! Somethings to me didn't make a lot of sense, but I think if I had paid more attention to them then they would have. I also really like the cover, especially the colour. In this book as well, Aya really helped me to understand all of the titles like 'chan' and 'sensei' by leaving a small glossary at the back of the book. I would love to pick up the next installment of it however Kanno left a couple of author notes towards the end of every story, so it is kind of off-putting to read that if you are particularly engrossed in the book. If it was possible on Goodreads, I'd give this 3.5 out of 5. Poor Asuka. Trapped by gender roles (especially after his mother's freakout when Asuka's father announces he's transgender (and I think transsexual?))... I really like how Juta* encourages Asuka to find friends who accept him for himself without needing to hide behind a facade of hyper-masculinity. I'm very curious about how Ryo views Asuka. She admires his cooking/sewing skills as much as his judo skills, but seems oblivious to his romantic interest.I also love how everyone in this series secretly enjoys pure love shojo comics (except for the extremely pragmatic Yukarin).All that said, this manga series is at 18 volumes and counting, and I really can't see how Asuka's courtship of the potentially disinterested Ryo is going to keep me engaged for that long. I enjoyed v.1 and would happily continue to read these if I could get them through my library, but I don't think it's going to make my to-buy list.*granted, Juta's reasoning is pretty self-serving, but still.
What do You think about Otomen, Vol. 1 (2009)?
Interesting story, lots of cultural context that might make it harder for multicultural readers
—sweeyang
